Heli Invasion gives pilots chance to show their skills

KYLE GRANTHAM / Courier & Press
Jamie Dumanski, right, helps gas up his five-year-old son Mason's, left, radio controlled helicopter before Mason's flight at the Second Annual Heli Invasion at Jack charlier Field on Saturday. Mason is one of the youngest sponsored pilots in the country according to his father who helped put on the event with the Evansville Radio Controlled Model Aircraft Club.

KYLE GRANTHAM / Courier & Press
"Ponce De Leone," piloted by Nigel Sawyer of Atlanta, Ga., clips the tops of tall grasses at Jack charlier Field as Sawyer puts on a show for spectators at the Second Annual Heli Invasion on Saturday. Sawyer named the helicopter after the explorer as it became it became his way of exploring the field of radio controlled helicopters.

KYLE GRANTHAM / Courier & Press
Spectators crowd around Chris DeGraaff's, bottom center, computer as they watch a video from a camera mounted on the radio controlled helicopter of Matt Botos, not pictured, after his flight on Saturday in the Second Annual Heli Invasion at Jack charlier Field.

EVANSVILLE - Despite ominously dark clouds clustered above Jack Charlier Field this weekend, young and old turned out for the second annual Heli Invasion.

Hosted by the Evansville Radio Control Model Aircraft Club (ERCMAC), the three-day event concludes today with radio-controlled helicopters performing various feats to showcase area and visiting pilot's precision flying and aerobatic skills.

"It's a lot of fun, but we try to give back to the community, too," said Ryan Bratton, an ERCMAC member who helped with the organization of this weekend's event. This year a portion of the proceeds from this event will go to St. Mary's Center for Children to help fund autism services.

Event sponsors have donated prizes, and a remote controlled helicopter donated by Compass will be raffled off for the cause during the event.

The Heli Invasion is free and open to the public today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Approximately 50 pilots from across the nation are in Evansville to participate, demonstrating their skills and looking to promote interest in radio controlled model aircraft.

"We have some of the best pilots in this part of the country here this weekend," Bratton said.

Noah Wiley, 14, made his way to Evansville from his hometown of Cookeville, Ten. for the Heli Invasion. Following only a year and a half of involvement in the remote controlled model aircraft hobby, Wiley has already made his way to be a nationally ranked third-place amateur pilot following a Muncie, Ind. competition in 2010.

But along with the glory of competition, there is the stress and criticism as pilots vie for the top spots, which is why Wiley enjoys the freedom and camaraderie of fun flies, such as the Heli Invasion. He travels around the country with the aid of sponsors to attend events such as these and show off his skills in precision flying and aerobatics.

Another young pilot showcased in this weekend's event is 5-year-old Mason Dumanski, son of ERCMAC event organizer Jamie Dumanski. Having watched his father perform aerial feats with model helicopters, Mason tried his own hand at the hobby and has since taken off as one of the youngest fliers in the nation.

Through a computer simulator at home and practice at Jack Charlier Field with his father, Mason is learning what it takes to run with the big boys and has already taken on two sponsors.

Mason' father, Jamie, said that at its core, Heli Invasion is a fun fly a get-together where individuals can have fun with friends and family. Approximately 150 members strong, the ERCMAC opens the event to the public to view and even take part, in the fun.

Through a "buddy box," a training device used with novice pilots, a more experienced pilot connects with the remote control of a less experienced pilot and can step in if control is lost to save the model aircraft from a crash. This in turn saves the aircraft's owner anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars in equipment.

Heli Invasion began last year as a community event, and returns this year with more pilots and more opportunities to see helicopters in action by day, or by night lit up with LED lights or a spotlight.

"Any age can come out to learn and fly airplanes or helicopters," Dumanski said.

World champion Matt Botos, owner and designer with Synergy R/C Helicopters, made an appearance at the event as one of the 20-or-more events he plans to attend this year.

"First and foremost, it's a social thing," Botos said of the hobby he has made into his career. "It's a little bit of a geeky hobby, but it's fun."

As a follow-up to the Heli Invasion, the ERCMAC plans an open house from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Jack Charlier Field, which is owned by the club and home to the airstrips for their model aircraft.

Each Wednesday night is the unofficial heli night at Jack Charlier Field, and Tuesday evenings the club gathers to train pilots. The public can check out the ERCMAC whenever the gate to the field is open, or by visiting the club's website at www.evansvillercclub.com for information.